"Sir, your behavior is seriously disturbing the other passengers. Please return to your seat immediately and remain calm."
I shook my head over and over. "No. My girlfriend is missing. I have to find her."
My relentless outburst forced the plane into an emergency landing at the nearest airport.
The moment the cabin door opened, several airport police officers boarded. Melissa rushed up to the one in front—a captain whose badge read Karl Gray—and pointed straight at me.
"This is the man. He boarded alone, but he insists his girlfriend vanished somewhere on the plane. He refused to listen to reason and has been causing a disturbance, disrupting every passenger on board."
I didn't want to end up in a psychiatric facility again, so I forced myself to stay as steady as I could.
"Officer, I haven't been causing trouble. I'm looking for my girlfriend. Her name is Amy Pruitt. She boarded this plane with me, and now she's gone."
"She has to still be on this aircraft. Please, I'm begging you—help me find her."
After my repeated pleas, Captain Gray finally agreed to search the plane.
They were thorough. They checked every inch. But in the end, there was no sign of Amy.